Things all started when the alarm went off. However, whether things were going to lead in a positive manner or down a negative path, was something of an unknown to little miss Anne at this time. She liked to hope for the best, but something felt off this morning and as she struggled to crawl out of bed without any coffee in her, the phone rang.
The ringing startled her. It was 530 in the morning on a Tuesday and no one she knows would call at this hour. Sometimes they’ll send a text, but never call. Especially on a Tuesday.
As this inner monologue was taking place, Anne failed to notice that her cat was sprawled out on the floor in front of her. As you can imagine, the kitten was not too happy about Anne tripping upon her and jolting her from her slumber.
Anne tumbled to the ground while Billy Idol’s “Mony Mony” blared from her phone across the room, alerting to her that someone was indeed trying to reach her.
Henry XXIV, the cat –because if you’re gonna have a cute female kitten in the house, you may as well give her a truly pointless name- quickly left the room with a hiss and curled up in a corner of the couch in the other room. Unfortunately for Henry, she could still hear “Mony Mony” in the other room.
‘Why the fuck did I change my ringtone to Mony Mony’ thought Anne as she got up of of the floor and walked over to the phone. However, once she reached the phone, it stopped ringing.
And, of course, as if you needed to be told this next bit. There was nothing on the caller ID and the mystery person left no message.
Anne sighed and continued on her mission to make coffee and, in turn, wake up. Lucky for her, or unlucky depending on her day and mind, she had no boyfriend, and therefore no reason to climb back in bed and forget about life for a while longer.
Because of this lack of boyfriend, Anne was able to make her coffee, get dressed, grab herself an apple, and get to work on time. Which is good because if she was late again, she would have been fired.
That said, on this particular morning, having a morning shag -and being fired because of it- would have been a good thing.
Before we get into Anne’s current day, perhaps you wanted to know something else about her. She hates watermelon. She never has liked it and never will. This has nothing to do with the story, but I thought you might want to know this.
So Anne is at work . . . oh yeah, Anne works the morning shift at a local deli. She’s been there for just over a year and is content with her meager position because it is stress-free and she knows that when she is ready to move on, she will do that. Today is not that day.
Today is just another day for Anne. Well, other than that phone call. And that event that happens later that she doesn’t know about it. And that alternate reality where in which she gets shagged and fired.
While finishing up her third cup of coffee, or maybe it was her fourth -she drinks a lot of coffee and tends to forget which cup she is on and I sure as hell am not counting them either- a young man, probably 3 years younger than her, came into the deli and ordered a croissant. With peanut butter on it.
“Excuse me, peanut butter?” “Yeah” “Creamy or chunky?” “Chunky. Obviously” -right. obviously. How could Anne have not known that?
If you’ve never experienced a warm soft buttery croissant with chunky peanut butter spread all over it, I guess you’re missing out. From what I understand, it is quite delicious. Perhaps after I share my story with you, I will try one as well.
One day, Anne will try this delicacy as well. However, when she does, she will insist that Nutella is far superior.
Anne prepared the croissant and then gave it to the young man. The young man, while Anne thinks is three years younger than her, is actually her same age. He just looks young. The young man’s name is Dennis. Dennis and Anne are both 25.
Dennis is a happy person, much as Anne is. However Dennis is definitely having a long and strenuous week. The reasons for this are not important, yet.
Dennis has green eyes and light brown hair. Anne has gray eyes and light brown hair as well. Anne is 5’3″. Dennis is 5’11”. They are quite cute together.
Dennis thanked Anne for the croissant, and left. Anne then helped the next customer in line. She wanted a low fat bran muffin. This was not as exciting to her.
Dennis walked down the street eating his breakfast. The peanut butter was sticking to the roof of his mouth. “Damn it. I forgot coffee” he mumbled to himself. Dennis shook his head and turned around
Dennis walked back into the deli with his partially eaten croissant. Anne saw him open the door. Simon and Garfunkel was playing in the background. Anne wondered what his name was.
Dennis knew her name already. Other customers used it. Dennis walked up to the counter. He smiled at Anne. Anne smiled at Dennis.
“I totally forgot to order coffee. A large please. No room” Anne let out a light giggle.
“I understand. I am on my,” and she paused. She remembered that she had no idea what cup she was on. “lol. I forget what number I am on. It’s been a few though” Anne felt silly and shook her head while fetching the coffee for Dennis. Dennis looked at his croissant. Dennis was tired.
Anne came back with his coffee. Dennis thanked her and paid and was about to walk away when he decided that, since his week was terribly shit already, he might as well get rejected too.
“Excuse me Anne, my name is Dennis. What time do you get of of work?”
“130”
“Want to sit in a park and tell bad jokes or something? We can buy a yo-yo or something as well”
“Jokes and a yoyo, eh? How could any girl pass that up? Shall I bring anything to the adventure?”
“If you have access to a time machine, that would be swell”
While this story is just a story, Anne does not have a time machine and they do not exist.
“Nope. Sorry” and she smiled at Dennis. Dennis smiled back, coffee in one hand and a peanut butter filled croissant in the other. “Ok. Well, see you here at 130?”
“Sounds good. See you then Dennis”
Dennis left. Anne helped the next customer.
Now, I know you are wondering why Anne would have been better of by not going to work today. We’ll get to that. Just remember that this is a sad story. Sorry. I can’t really control it. I am just sharing it.
Anne was preparing to finish her shift and was anxiously waiting for her relief to show up when Dennis walked back into the shop. He carried with him 2 shiny new yo-yos. One had LEDs that lit up. The other made a whistling sound when used. The whistler was quite obnoxious. Dennis loved it.
Anne was wearing a simple white button-up blouse and black slacks. Dennis had on jeans and a green shirt that complimented his eyes. The sky was mostly clear. It was roughly 77 degrees out. Spring was nice this year
Side note that Anne never learns: Dennis stole the yo-yo’s.
Actually, Dennis steals a lot. He has a problem with it. Dennis just doesn’t like to spend money on stuff that he isn’t planning on using a lot. Such as yo-yos.
Anne steals a lot too. Really, the more I learn about these two, the cuter they become. They really would make an adorable couple.
Anne looks up at the clock and sees that it is 130 and her relief still isn’t here yet. Her heart jumps and begins to race. She panics a bit and, in her moment of panic, spills a glass of orange juice onto the ground.
Dennis saw this. Dennis smiled. Dennis continued playing with his whistling yo-yo. Anne was embarrassed. Anne looked towards Dennis. Dennis was not looking at Anne. Anne felt better.
Anne went to the back to grab a mop and clean up her spill. While she was cleaning her spill, her relief showed up. Justin was always late to work. Justin would never be fired though. Justin was an asshole. And Anne’s boss.
Justin inquired about what happened. Anne said that she spilled some juice. Justin nodded, said nothing, and walked past her into the office.
Anne apologized to Dennis for this taking so long. It was now 142. Dennis didn’t care. Dennis was not having a good week and this delay was of very little concern to him.
Justin came out of the backroom at 157 and Anne emptied the tip jar in preparation to leave. Justin looked at Dennis and his yo-yo. Justin glared. Dennis decided that he didn’t like Justin. Dennis was a good judge of character.
Well, other than that one time.
Anne said goodbye to Justin and went to the back to grab her stuff. She saw a new note on the schedule board. In big bold ink it read: YOU ARE NOW BEING WATCHED. It had an arrow. It pointed to the corner of the ceiling. There was a camera.
The camera was fake. No one was watching anything.
Which is good for Anne. Because she liked to steal from her work. And she like to have sex in the backroom. If customers knew what their sandwiches were being made on, some would boycott and others would come in more often. Anne was quite attractive.
Anne didn’t know that the camera was fake. She sighed. Then she giggled. She thought about the conversation she would have to have with Justin if she was caught on camera on the prep table with a new boy. That would be funny to her.
Anne grabbed her stuff and walked out to the lobby and greeted Dennis. “Hi!” she exclaimed in a cheerful manner. Dennis smiled back and held out his hand, offering Anne a yo-yo.
It was the LED yo-yo.
“I got you one with LEDs. I thought you should have something that, like yourself, lights up the room”
Dennis spent all day thinking of that line
“You spent all day thinking of that, didn’t you?” “That obvious?” “Yeah”
It was still a good line. Anne appreciated the cheesiness of it.
“Shall we go?” Dennis asked. “Yeah, let’s do that” Anne responded. Justin glared at both of them. Justin was an asshole.
The two of them left the deli and stepped out onto the street. It was sunny out. But you already knew that. It was 77 degrees.
“Which park would you like to go to?” Dennis asked. “There’s a chill one up on 4th. It has a fountain.” Anne liked fountains. Anne liked water in general. “Sounds great. Lead the way” he replied with a smile
Anne and Dennis walked towards the park on 4th. They passed many people bustling about. Anne and Dennis were making small chat. Both of them wanted to save the real discussion for when they would be relaxed at the park.
As they talked, Anne thought about how she wished that she had a blanket. It would be nice to lay on while at the park. Dennis thought about how he wished today wasn’t Tuesday.
Today was Tuesday though. There was nothing anyone could do about it.
They passed a liquor store on the way to the park. “Want to grab a small bottle of tequila for the park?”
“I like the way you think” It’s true. Dennis liked the way Anne thought.
They walked in a bought a bottle of mid level tequila and a bottle of juice. They continued en route to the park.
They were paused at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to change, when Dennis suggested walking a different route.
Anne didn’t know why, but didn’t have any problems with it. So she agreed. The reason was that Dennis saw a blue sedan drive by and slow down.
They made it to the park. There were people of various ages all over. Families playing, lovers laughing, friends joking. Anne and Dennis sat on the grass and opened the tequila
Anne took a big swig from the bottle and then handed it over to Dennis. Dennis did the same and placed the bottle on the ground.
They both looked into the others’ eyes. They both smiled. They both forgot about their weird mornings. They were both happy.
Then Dennis remembered his morning. Then he stopped smiling. “So what’s your story Anne?”
“Well, I work at the deli. I’m on hiatus from college until I know what I want to do. I like to dance and I love the water. And what about you Mr. Dennis sir? What is your story?”
“Me? Oh, well, I’m fairly average. Got fired earlier this week, so I am unemployed. I write a lot of stories and like to cook. I have no idea what I am going to do with my life either, but something will happen”
To be honest, this part of the story is exactly what you would think. They talked, they told each other jokes. They played with their yo-yos. They drank their tequila. They were entirely unexciting. But, they were getting to know one another
It was becoming sunset. It was just before 7.
Anne thought to herself: I wish I didn’t need to work tomorrow
Dennis thought to himself: Fuck. This sucks
Dennis was not referring to Anne or their conversation.
Dennis was referring to the blue sedan that he just saw drive by. He hoped that it wouldn’t come back and stop.
It did.
Perhaps this is another good time to pause our story and get some background info. Dennis hasn’t been exactly truthful with Anne up to this point. His charisma and his “energy” are both being perceived accurately by Anne, but the details of his story don’t quite hold water.
I know that I’ve exaggerated bits of info when I have met someone new whom has taken my fancy. I have also omitted info as well. Dennis was simply doing this. Unfortunately for all parties involved, this information is kind of important.
I wish I could step in and help Dennis out right now. I also wish I could tap Anne on the shoulder and pull her aside with a chat. But alas, I cannot. I also don’t have a time machine. Dennis was being very honest with that question. That was not a line.
By why does Dennis need a time machine? I think if we check back in with our lovely couple, we might learn some answers. Some. Maybe. Let’s find out.
Actually, let’s rewind the scene a bit.
Dennis and Anne were exiting the liquor store and making small chat. They told some riddles and knock knock jokes to each other. Asked about music and discussed movies. Made comments regarding other people walking by and generally having a pleasant time.
Anne mentioned that she had a little kitten and that her name was Henry XXIV. She then asked Dennis if he had any pets. The question, a simple question, caused Dennis to lose his footing and fall to the ground.
His yo-yo was not harmed. He brushed himself of and the continued on.
I don’t know why I neglected to mention this part of the story, but I do think you’ll find it to be rather important for this next scene.
The blue sedan stopped in front of the park. Dennis noticed it. Anne noticed Dennis noticing something. Anne turned her head to look at whatever captured Dennis’s attention. As Anne was turning, Dennis reached out to her face, turned it back to him, and gave her a deep passionate kiss.
Anne’s stomach began filling with butterflies. And warm tequila.
Anne kissed Dennis back. Her eyes were closed. She put her hand upon his leg. His eyes were opened. He was spying behind Anne. He saw the blue sedan drive of. He closed his eyes, slowly pulled away from her, then suggested that they leave the park and go elsewhere.
Anne was deep in a moment of fantasy. All people have these moments. You meet someone by chance at a random moment. They turn out to be quite fascinating and a very good kisser. You’ve been bored and alone for a while. You picture your life down the road and how happy you’ve been in your storybook.
This was Anne’s mind. This was not Anne’s reality.
She looked into his green eyes and smiled with much soul. Her dimples made her even more gorgeous. Dennis was amazed that she could even be more beautiful than she was a few moments ago.
“Yeah, let’s get out of here. Would you like to come back towards my place? I’ve got to work in the morning, so I can’t be out much later, but if you wanted a a nightcap at the bar next door to me, I’d love the company.”
If Dennis was a proper good guy, he would have declined. Dennis was not a good guy. Dennis did not decline.
Dennis and Anne walked through town and eventually wound up at the bar around the corner from Anne’s apartment.
Anne didn’t notice Dennis’s shifty eyes during the walk. Dennis didn’t notice anything Anne was saying. Anne didn’t notice that Dennis wasn’t noticing.
-Sorry for the interruption again. I should have never started to tell you this stuff. I apologize. Throughout this story I have often thought about lying and making up my own story. I don’t want to be a bummer. But I am an honest guy and I wanted to tell you the truth. Maybe this story will help you out in the future. Provide a moral or something. I dunno. Anyway . . .
Anne and Dennis walk up to the front door of the bar and Dennis opens it like a gentleman (who says chivalry is dead?) and after Anne walks in first, he scopes the street for anything and everything.
He sees nothing.
Which is rather unfortunate because across the street is standing a man. A man who happens to own a blue sedan. The blue sedan is parked up the street though.
So what’s going on with the man with the blue sedan and Dennis? Well, remember that little talk about pets? Dennis was able to avoid the question by tripping and falling.
I suppose that was also probably the quickest answer too. I mean, if he had told her the truth, she would have thought he was joking or something.
He wouldn’t have been.
He has a pet.
It’s kind of rare and people want it.
He accidentally stumbled upon it while camping the previous summer
He was in the forest with some friends and hiking around. He came upon a weird cave. But it wasn’t really a cave. It looked like one, but there was electricity.
So he went in and checked it out. He heard a noise. It was a weird noise. It didn’t sound happy though.
And it wasn’t happy. It was quite sad. And, it turns out, had a broken leg and a torn wing.
And, even though Dennis didn’t know this and had no way to know this, was only a few months old.
Dennis found a dragon.
In a cave.
In a cave with electricity.
As with most people, a discovery like this startled Dennis.
He began walking over to the dragon and then heard voices coming from down the hall. Dennis hid.
The two voices were talking about how they were getting ripped of on “this dragon bullshit” and how they were gonna simply kill the beast if they weren’t properly compensated soon.
Dennis could hear one of the men shock the dragon and he heard the dragon make a screaming like noise again. Dennis wanted to disappear.
The two men left and Dennis made his way to the exit and back down to camp. At camp he told his camping mates about what had happened. They didn’t believe him, obviously, and wanted proof.
They were also really wasted. Camping tends to do that to people.
So in the dark of the night, while really wasted, Dennis and his friends quietly -well, as quietly as drunk people can move in a forest- made their way back to the cave.
Dennis was first to notice the dragon sobbing, but the other two heard it shortly afterward. They made their way over to the cage housing the dragon.
They looked at the dragon, the dragon looked at them.
So there is a dragon and 3 drunk friends in a cave, which happens to have electricity. But how? And what is the deal with the dragon?
Well, to be honest, it is much less exciting than you probably are assuming. I am just a bad story teller. My apologies.
So the three of them are staring at this dragon and decide that they are going to liberate it. And they do.
Dennis adopts it as a pet and names the dragon Puff. Dennis was always a fan of that song and never thought he’d get the chance to have a dragon and name it. When he realized that he did have the opportunity, he named it exactly what what many other people would have. Anne would have approved.
Dennis kept Puff in his apartment. He learned that Puff was a vegetarian and ate a variety of plants. Puff was also growing. Puff was getting a bit large.
Puff was also full of love for Dennis.
Dragons are very smart and intelligent creatures. This is often forgotten because no one ever interacts with them, but dragons are bloody brilliant.
They are also trouble makers. But, honestly, if you were a dragon, you’d be a trouble maker too.
After Dennis and his friends liberated Puff from the weird cave with electricity, they really were stumped. What do you do with a dragon? One with a torn wing and a broken leg? Well, if you’re Dennis and his friends, you take it home and splint its leg with a popsicle stick.
You also get online and research as much about dragons as possible on the Internet. Of course the ratio of quality information to bullshit information is quite disproportionate. However you quickly learn what makes sense and what doesn’t.
Surprisingly, there is an extreme amount of quality info on dragons on the Internet once you figure out how to search for it.
For nearly a year, Puff and Dennis developed a relationship and a friendship. Dennis liked Puff and Puff was happy to be taken care of by Dennis and not those mean people in the cave.
For a while, Dennis was nervous about people finding out about his dragon. I would have been too. But as the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months, he slowly forgot about that cave. That cave with electricity.
He also refused to ever camp in that area again. But he wasn’t paranoid about them coming after him.
And they didn’t.
Those two guys never knew of Dennis and some claim that the two were elated when they realized that Puff was missing.
In a perfect world, Dennis would have explained all of this to Anne. But Dennis didn’t know how to. Explaining that was a lot more difficult than coming up with a smooth line for an LED yo-yo.
All of this was flashing through Dennis’ mind as he closed the door to the bar and followed Anne to a table.
A table in a bar Anne would not be in if Dennis didn’t come to her shop that morning. A table that she would not be in if Dennis didn’t kiss her. A moment that would not be real if today was not today.
But today was today. The phone did ring. Mony Mony did happen. Something was amiss.
The server came over and took the couples order. Anne ordered a gin and tonic, as always. Dennis ordered the same.
While the server fetched their drinks, Anne grabbed Dennis’s hand and squeezed it under the table. Dennis squeezed back. He liked her.
He also wished that he had a time machine.
He also was thinking about a blue sedan and Puff, who was probably fucking up his apartment because he hadn’t been home at all today.
If you’ve never cleaned up dragon poo before, well . . . it sucks. Dragons can also have a bit of a temper tantrum. And since they understand cause and effect, remember they are bloody brilliant, they have a way of making things worse. Like breathing fire on their poo to make it even more stinky.
A jealous dragon is like the embodiment of your worst ex-girlfriend. If she could breathe fre. Which some can. Anne couldn’t.
Although Anne could do some amazing things with her mouth, but breathing fire was not one of them.
Time machines, dragons, and blue sedans. Plus, being fired and meeting a new groovy girl. What a day? If I were Dennis, I’d be doubling my gins. Dennis, being Dennis himself, did that same.
After the third gin and tonic, it was getting late. Anne still had to open the deli in the morning, but it would also be her “Friday”, so she didn’t mind being a bit out of it.
Having Thursdays and Fridays of suited Anne just fine. She didn’t care about weekends and enjoyed having time of when others worked. Anne was a good girl.
Anne also knew nothing of this blue sedan, thought of dragons as fantasy, and had completely forgotten about that early morning phone call.
As Anne was finishing her third gin and tonic, Mony Mony began emanating from her purse.
Dennis, who was completely wrapped up in his thoughts up until this moment started to chuckle when he realized that Anne’s ringtone was Mony Mony.
Anne pulled the phone from her purse with a form of contempt that only a female like Anne can manage. It is an intrinsic genetic skill and Anne knew how to harness that emotion. Whatever that emotion was defined as being.
“Hello?!” she hollered with as much contempt as she could manage. No one said anything
This really frustrated Anne. Gin made her a bit catty, especially after an afternoon of drinking tequila.
“Ummmm. Fuck you!” and she hung up her phone and looked at the caller ID.
Her caller ID read “Asshole”
That was Justin.
She hated him. But he was her boss. Should she call him back? Meh. She no longer cared.
The tequila and gin had taken over her mind and body.
Dennis was also curious as to what just happened. For the moment, he was no longer thinking of the blue sedan, Puff, or the time machine. Right now, he was just wondering who was on the other line of that phone. That phone being held by those delicate hands. Those soft and smooth hands.
The next hour happened really fast. Alcohol does that.
Time is relative, as is everything else, but time is especially relative when wasted. As is judgment. Judgment and time should never cross with alcohol. Or, more simply put, alcohol should keep its dirty hands away from time and judgment.
Some people don’t handle their alcohol well.
Dennis was pretty good at being wasted. He was charming and aloof. Anne was also good at being wasted. She liked to discuss social paradigms and politics, and her dimples were even more noticeable.
The way Anne and Dennis complimented each other right now, it was no wonder why Anne was thinking about what Dennis looked like without a shirt.
It was also understandable why Dennis really craved a time machine. His time was about out.
Dennis has a problem. Other than the blue sedan, Puff, and his growing adoration for the lovely Miss Anne, Dennis’ main problem is that of time.
Which can be attributed directly to Puff. The blue sedan can too. But that is of little importance right now.
See, Puff is a magic dragon. All dragons are magical. Just like how all cats are evil and all dogs stink, all dragons are magical.
Which is fine if you are wise. Or if you are 5. But if you are 25, broken hearted, getting laid of, and named Dennis, perhaps this isn’t the best idea.
Over the duration of Dennis and Puff’s relationship, Puff had slowly developed his powers of magic and Dennis had slowly realized that Puff had these magic powers.
It’s still mostly a mystery to them both, but they have at least come to the agreement that this magic stuf does exist, is real, and is manipulable by Puff.
When Dennis got home from being fired the other night, he was wasted. Dennis would claim it was the most drunk he had ever been. It wasn’t.
This was actually ranked 3 or 4, depending on your rating system.
One thing about Puff, and dragons in general, is that they don’t always understand sarcasm, humour, or that human trait of overreacting.
Dennis could definitely overreact.
Such as the night he came home and started ranting and raving about the end of times and how life was unfair, his boss was evil and that life was no longer worth living because he was an epic failure and a pathetic human being.
I suppose we have all had one of those nights. They happen. Life can suck sometimes. Luckily for us, we don’t have magical dragons listening to our every word and then doing weird dragon magic based upon them.
Puff always loved Dennis because Dennis saved Puff from those evil bastards in the electric cave, and Puff hated seeing Dennis sad. Which was becoming more frequent in recent weeks, culminating on this one fateful night.
Dennis recited a poem: On the earth, I shall no longer stand. Until my death, I shall no longer give. For then my family, I shall no longer fear. Because tomorrow, I shall no longer live.
And with those words, Puff made a spell. It was time to rid his master of his pain. It was time to remove Dennis’s pain.
The thing is that Dragon Magic can be somewhat sloppy. And somewhat obtuse. While dragons are quite smart, they sometimes don’t pay attention to the details.
We’re also talking about magic. What do you really know about magic? That’s right. Nothing. So don’t judge a sweet baby dragon who is just trying to do his best. Sometimes kids break jars, spill milk, or poop their pants. This dragon, unfortunately, kills his only friend.
And Dennis knew it too.
When one is cursed by a dragon and sentenced to death, you know. It rushes through your veins. You know the time. You know which dragon did it. You can see that last moment, even if you don’t know what lead to it. You know these things just as you know the street you grew up on and the phone number you had in primary school.
Dennis knew his time was about up. He longed for a time machine to go back in time with. He longed to enjoy the final moments of his short life. He wished that he wasn’t such an alcoholic and over dramatic person. He wished that he had met Anne long ago.
Anne knew nothing except that she was now getting less than 6 hours of sleep, less if Dennis came back to her place, and that she was going to have a nasty hang over in the morning.
Dennis excused himself to the restroom and Anne finished her drink. It was time to go. Then the front door opened.
I suppose I forgot a few important details earlier in this story. I didn’t want to talk about them because I kept hoping that perhaps I would change the subject and you’d never have to hear them. Well, here they are . . .
Dennis got fired from Oil Can Henry’s because he got into a shouting match with a customer. That customer was Justin, Anne’s boss. When Dennis got home, he cursed Justin and cursed his own life in that moment of despair and depression. Unknown to Dennis at this time, Justin was Anne’s boss and Justin was extremely jealous over Anne and her refusal to date him. When Puff did his magic, he also placed a spell upon the one who wronged his boss. And since magic is a slightly uncontrollable little bitch, well, this is what happened.
Justin walked into the bar and spotted Anne. Anne spotted Justin and that crazed look in his eyes. Dennis walked out of the bathroom and saw Justin yelling at Anne and Anne with tears in her eyes.
Dennis confronted Justin, Justin turned and started yelling at Dennis. Dennis knew this was it. Dennis shoved Justin. Justin grabbed a rocks glass of of the table that once contained a gin and tonic. Justin slammed this as hard as he could into the throat of Dennis. The glass shattered.
Blood started pouring out of Dennis’s throat. He reached up with his left hand and tried to put pressure on it. Dennis swung at Justin and extended his fingers to poke out Justin’s left eye. There was a popping sound and more blood.
Anne screamed. Dennis prayed to a god that he had never prayed to before. Justin held his empty eye socket in shock.
Dennis lost balance and fell upon Justin. They both fell to the ground. Dennis was losing blood fast and becoming faint. He grabbed a beer bottle from the next table and jammed it into Justin’s other eye socket. He felt it reach brain.
He looked up at Anne. Her beautiful gray eyes were filled with shock, horror, and tears. She couldn’t understand anything. She had blood all over her.
Dennis whispered, “Thank you. I’m sorry” and collapsed.
Puff could feel his friend’s life disappearing from across town. Puff cried in the apartment. Alone.
Puff used his tail and broke the window of the apartment. Puff jumped out the window, and for the frst time ever, few. Flew to freedom.
Anne cried and got sick. She vomited. The police came. They interrogated her. She did her best to answer their questions. She never really knew what happened or why.
A few hours later she was at home in bed. Unable to sleep. Crying. In shock. In horror. She thought of Dennis, the whistling yo-yo, the bad jokes, the peanut butter croissant. She cried more.
She skipped work the next day. She never went back there.
It was very sad. Her dimples never radiated the same level of happiness and joy again. She never looked as beautiful after that. Her soul was wrecked and the soul is where true beauty lies. Hers was now tainted.
Again, I’m sorry for sharing this story with you. I didn’t want to. I wanted to change it. But one cannot hide from the truth. So I did not hide from you. I told it as it happened.
And I know what you are thinking, What about that bloody blue sedan? Well, that’s a bit more tricky. Dennis knew that he was dying. He knew it was over. The dragon magic gives you info. He simply knew a blue sedan was involved. He just didn’t know how, or why. But he knew the sedan would be near. And it was.
So, I guess that is all. That’s the story. If Anne had met Dennis a week earlier, things may have been different. If Anne had a boyfriend and was properly shagged that morning and was late to work and subsequently fired, things would have been better.
And if Dennis had been less drunk and emotively rambling in front of a magical dragon, perhaps he may have actually found happiness as well.
I hate tragedies.